Monday, June 30, 2014

Today has been a long time coming, but it is finally here. This is the official cover for Shadow of a Life!

Don't miss the exciting first installment in Tifani Clark's "The Soul Saver" Series, entitled Shadow of a Life!

Available August 11, 2014.

Jamie Peters plans to spend the summer before her
junior year with her nose stuck in a book—not saving lost souls. Usually the
girl that blends into the crowd, Jamie’s world is turned upside down when a
mysterious ghost begins to follow her.

But Sophia isn’t just any ghost.

A hundred years earlier, Sophia’s disappearance
sparked a national mystery that remained unsolved. Jamie knows the legends
surrounding Sophia’s disappearance, but she never dreamed she would find out
what really happened . . . or that her family
might have had something to do with Sophia’s disappearance.

Determined to set Sophia free, Jamie blows the dust
off her family’s past and unearths clues to discover what she must do to save
Sophia’s soul. She enlists the help of childhood friend—and secret crush—Peter
Ashby as she sets off on a dangerous quest to find a missing map. Spending the
night in a graveyard, crawling through a dilapidated barn, and staring down the
barrel of a gun aren’t enough to deter Jamie from helping Sophia. But can she
find the answers she needs before another ghost gets revenge on her and Sophia?

About the Author

Tifani Clark grew up on a farm in southeastern Idaho (yes, that’s where they grow all the potatoes) as the middle of five children. She had a lot of space to imagine and daydream and often pictured herself as a character in one of the many books she read. She was habitually found pretending to be Scarlet O’Hara. Tifani loves mystery and hates it when one goes unsolved. She is married to the love of her life and is the mother to four fabulous children. When not writing, she enjoys playing the violin and piano and traveling to new places. She especially enjoys visits to national parks and places of historical significance.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Two summers ago we went on one of the best vacations EVER.
We visited the Oregon and Washington Coasts.

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

In Astoria, Oregon, we made the obligatory visit to the
Goonie house. Yes, that's right. The Goonie House.

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Was any movie better
than that one in the 80s? Huh, huh, huh? I dare you to name one. Pirates, treasure, old ships, romance, mystery, adventure…sigh…they
don’t make them like that anymore.

Oh
wait…pirates, treasure, old ships, romance, mystery, adventure…I think I might have just described my
upcoming book, SHADOW OF A LIFE. Hmm… (Insert shameless plug.)

Anyway, after visiting the Goonie house, we decided to go Letterboxing. If you don’t know what Letterboxing is, you should check out Atlas Quest. It’s like Geocaching,
only more family friendly. Our letterboxing adventures took us to a cemetery where
we learned the following haunting story.

"Steamships were still rare in 1852, so the General Warren, with its plume of black smoke, attracted a lot of attention from the towns it passed on its journey down the Columbia River. Grain filled the cargo hold and 52 people enjoyed the lavish appointments that adorned the interior. At the bar crossing, they picked up river pilot Captain Flavel to steer them to open sea. Once in open water however, conditions became precarious and water filled the cargo hold and the topmast blew off. The decision was made to turn about for the relative shelter of the river. Captain Thompson requested a bar pilot but it was late in the afternoon of the following day until conditions permitted Captain Flavel to reboard the struggling vessel. The pilot felt that it was too dangerous to attempt a crossing but the panicked crew and passengers pleaded. Absolving himself of any responsibility, Flavel moved forward. Progress was slow and the ship began to deteriorate. Captain Thompson ordered the ship run hard aground. This was accomplished and volunteers were called for to take the remaining lifeboat to find help. Volunteers were slow to respond as the men felt that certain death awaited them. Captain Flavel, with his superior knowledge of the river, piloted the boat. Miraculously, within 3 hours they were making their way back to the stranded ship.

But it was nowhere to be found.

It had broken up and there were only bits of lumber where a once grand ship had been. Forty-two bodies were recovered, among them a newly married couple, found still clasping hands with her wedding ring still on her finger."

To find the letterbox, we were sent on a
treasure hunt…in a cemetery. The air was windy and you
could smell the water of the Columbia River as we walked through the cemetery
in search of our treasure—er, letterbox.

We found the letterbox hiding behind a creepy mausoleum. Long story short, we
stayed too long and it started to get dark. The creepy mausoleum started
emitting scary shadows and we all freaked ourselves out...as usual. (I mean, the kids were scared. I would NEVER get scared.)